Woman who lost son in wrong way crash goes on mission to make roads safer

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - A woman who lost her son in a wrong way accident is continuing her mission to make Valley roads safer.

At around 1:00 a.m. on January 10, 2016, Christopher Ruiz was heading home on Loop 303 when an impaired driver who was going the wrong way slammed into his truck.

Ruiz was killed, and so was the wrong way driver.

Since that tragic morning, Ruiz's mom has been on a crusade to save other families from her family's pain. She is focusing on the problem of impaired drivers, like the one who killed Ruiz, who was 32 when he died.

"My emotion and my complete love for my son had me very angry for a very long time, but it comes down to personal responsibility, and if everyone would just make that choice," said Deb Scarlett. "There's so many options. Designated driver, sleep in your car, if you can't afford an Uber. So if one person don't get on that freeway after you've had cocktails, it's highly possible you've saved your own life and someone else's."

The MADD fundraiser, which is being held Thursday night in Litchfield Park, has sold out, but MADD is taking online donations.

MADD Arizona
https://www.madd.org/arizona/